Blog . Christy Watterson's internship at ATI Upward Bound Program
Christy Watterson's internship at ATI Upward Bound Program
09/10/13 | Posted by CIA Student | Posted in Career Center
Name: Christy Watterson
Major: Drawing
Internship location: ATI Upward Bound Program (Ohio State University)
How you found out about the internship:
As a Drawing major who plans to pursue teaching, I was searching for internship opportunities that would allow me to both interact with students and specifically use my knowledge of fine arts to teach. Through the Career Center at CIA, I found The Ohio State ATI Upward Bound Program. Upward Bound is a program that helps eligible students prepare for college through academic advising, tutoring, college information and visits, career enrichment, and assistance with financial aid searches.
What you did:
I had a diverse range of responsibilities, and all of them involved working directly with the students. These ranged from tutoring, to assisting with volunteering, mentoring, and facilitating residence life.
What most excited me about this internship was that I was able to teach my own drawing elective. In this class, I taught my students how to use different types of drawing materials and develop ideas using their sketchbooks. I also discussed with them the differences between drawing from life and from photographs. Our unique location next to ATI’s arboretum allowed the students the opportunity to draw from unique plant life that they otherwise would not have had access to. Additionally, the students were able to spend time drawing each other; they learned several techniques for drawing the figure from life.
What you learned:
This teaching experience was extremely valuable for me, as it helped me realize how important it is to me to work with students individually. Not every student learns the same way, and I learned how important it is to adjust my explanations so as to reach each person in a way he or she can best understand.
What surprised you:
For the final three days we traveled to New York City. I led a group of students through the city to various cultural landmarks and museums. We were able to visit three art museums while there: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and The Museum of Modern Art.
How CIA prepared you to get the most out of your internship:
My liberal arts classes at CIA prepared me to talk to the students about the works that they had the opportunity to see first hand. This whole experience reaffirmed my desire to teach fine arts. I am even more convinced now that such a career will be both demanding and rewarding.